Sunday, October 16, 2016

I know Dylan is The Seer to many. Not just...guys. I caught the early, nasal years. Some things struck me: 20 years of school and they put you on the day shift; William Zanzinger. But who was he imagining when he warned:

"Go away from my window.
Leave at you own chosen speed.
I'm not the one you want, babe.
I'm not the one you need.

"You say you're looking for someone
Who's never weak, and always strong.
Someone to defend you and protect you
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door...

"Well it ain't me babe!"

Geez, I hope not. In any case, I didn't linger.

I marvel at Joni Mitchell lyrics, rhythms (dug up the records - yes, records! after a recent move):

"Just before our love got lost
You said 'I am as constant as the Northern Star,'
I said
'Constant in the darkness, where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the barn..."

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

“Golden State has drastically
extended the standard scoring range, which makes comparing it with storied
N.B.A. teams of yore like distinguishing between a smartphone and a land line.”

First try: 10
a.m.

Me: Hello, AT&T?
I just moved, and there’s supposed to be a forwarding message at my old
phone number to my new number. But I
just called my old number, and my old answering message is still playing. Also, my password no longer works at my old
number, so I can’t tell if anyone’s left me a message at the old number. Can you help, please?

Agent: Hello. Thank
you for calling AT&T. No worries, we
will take care of your problem. Will you
please tell me your current phone number and the 3-digit code at the end of
your bill?

Me: Sorry, I just moved and I don’t have by old bill
handy. I can tell you the amount of my
last bill, though, for identification.

Agent: No worries. Can you please tell me your current phone
number and the 3-digit code at the end of your bill?

Me: No, I don’t have my paper bill with me, I just moved,
but I can tell you the amount I paid on my last bill, since it’s written here
in my checkbook.

Agent: I’m so sorry, let me understand. Do you need new service?

Second
try:10:15

Me: Hello, AT&T?
I just moved, and there’s supposed to be a forwarding message at my old
phone number to my new number. But I
just called my old number, and my old answering message is still playing. Also, my password no longer works at my old
number, so I can’t tell if anyone’s left me a message. Can you help? Please?

Agent: That is a different department. No worries, we will take care of your
account, Miss Ellen. Can I put you on
hold while I contact the other department?

10:25

Agent: Thank you for
patiently waiting. Miss Ellen, can you
tell me the 3-digit code at the end of your phone number on your bill?

Third try: 10:30

Me: [allow your imagination to run wild]

Agent: Let’s see, the problem is that your old number isn’t
due to be discontinued until the first of the month, which is tomorrow. I checked, and there’s no way to move the
date up today. But that disconnect will
happen tomorrow. Then your callers will
get an automatic message, telling them to call your new phone number.

Me: Thank you, that
is very helpful. But the other problem
is that my password for the old number doesn’t work, so I can’t tell if
anyone’s left me a message there.

Agent: I see. Let me
get our technical team on the line, to reinstate your password for the
day. I’m going to put you on hold, and
we’ll get someone on the line who can help.

[I am on hold. I go
to iTunes to try to download some music.
iTunes tells me I am no longer subscribed to whatever part of their
service I need to get a new song to play.
Would I like to download the new program? I click on the icon to download the updated
program. Meanwhile I listen to the tunes
I already recorded: Judy Collins “We
Want a Revolution” suite from Marat/Sade; “You Don’t Own Me,” Leslie Gore; “The
Longest Time,” Billy Joel; and on to Katie Goodman, Kweskin Jug Band, Taj
Mahal, and Tom Lehrer.]

10:45

[Recording]: You’ve
reached the repair department at AT&T.
Due to heavy volume, your call may not be answered for up to 4 minutes.

[The Comcast tech couldn’t find the connection to the
internet in our new place, so we’re working off of borrowed wireless until we
can get real Ethernet service, next week.

[iTunes sends a message that there has been an error in
downloading the updated program. I can
try again later. Meanwhile, it would
like to add or update service from Apple, Quicktime, and other programs. I think about “The Golden Notebook,” and get
up to unpack.]